MENTAL health services for working-age adults in Swindon and Wiltshire have been deemed safe after fears were raised. 

The Care Quality Commission carried out an unannounced focused inspection of Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust’s Wiltshire and Swindon community mental health services and two specialist perinatal services in December. The watchdog was acting on reported concerns about quality and safety. 

This included information provided by patients and as well as details contained in serious incident reports submitted to CQC by the trust. There were concerns about risk assessment and documentation, completion of crisis and contingency plans, involvement of family and carers, and multiagency working. 

Inspectors focused on four community teams and the trust’s two specialised perinatal teams. They interviewed staff and patients and reviewed care records for Swindon recovery teams, the North Wiltshire community mental health team, and Swindon and North Wiltshire intensive services. They inspected services at Chatsworth House and Sandalwood Court, both in Swindon, and Green Lane Hospital in Devizes.

Inspectors found staff worked well together and managed patient safety incidents well. Patients were supported during a mental health crisis with access to specialist help.

When things went wrong, lessons were shared with the wider service and action plans developed. The service had also established effective infection prevention control processes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But risk assessment tools and risk management plans were not always updated in response to new or challenging risks. The CQC told the trust it must take action to remedy this. It should also address staff vacancies which were putting some teams under increased pressure.

AWP director of nursing and quality Julie Kerry said: “We are pleased with the outcome of this recent inspection in which our services continue to be rated good. 

“Our primary focus is always to provide high quality care to our patients, so for this to be recognised by CQC inspectors is good news for the people we care for, their families and carers, as well as our staff working across AWP. 

“We recognise we still have work to do and we have plans in place to address the points raised by the CQC so that we can continue to further improve our care planning and delivery.

“I would like to thank all our staff who were involved in the unannounced inspection for their hard work and commitment during what has been a busy and challenging 12 months for everyone working in across the NHS.”

To read the full report visit: https://api.cqc.org.uk/public/v1/reports/dc92b5cb-5c07-41ad-b1c1-acaeeac723b8?20210210080040